Naoji Iwatani
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
In April 1918 he went to work for Kakeno Kairiku Unsoten, a shipping agent in Kobe. In May 1930 he founded Iwatani Naoji Shoten, a welding materials dealer in Osaka, handling oxygen, carbide and welding supplies. In February 1945 he reorganized it as Iwatani Sangyo with capital of ¥198,000 and became its President. He came from neither a major trading house nor an engineering background; he was a merchant who sold gas and welding materials himself. He ran the shop for 15 years before incorporation, and its customers carried over directly to the company.
Selection
He had no predecessor. Building on Iwatani Naoji Shoten, the sole proprietorship he opened in May 1930, he became President when it was incorporated in February 1945. The reorganization came six months before Japan's defeat, at a time when the oxygen and welding materials trade had been absorbed into war production. The board included people from his home prefecture of Shimane dating from the shop days; Satoshi Fukuma joined Iwatani Naoji Shoten in April 1933, became a Director in October 1955 and Representative Director and Executive Vice President in January 1973. The founder ran the company himself and stayed in office until handing the presidency to Koji Saito in 1985.
Initiatives
In November 1953, under the Marui Propane brand, he launched Japan's first nationwide sales of household LP gas. Targeting homes beyond the reach of city gas, he set up the LP gas distributor Central Sekiyu Gas in March 1959. The company listed on the Second Section of the Osaka Securities Exchange in August 1962 and of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December that year, and was assigned to the First Sections of both in April 1965. In August 1980 it completed the Sakai LPG import terminal and in February 1981 began direct imports from Saudi Arabia. Having secured the kitchen, it moved upstream all the way to import terminals.
Career
Career
Iwatani
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1944 | Representative Director, President |
| 1985 | Stepped down as President |
References 2
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 日本企業要覧 1974年版
- 岩谷産業 有価証券報告書【沿革】